An ethical question...

[sbisson]

Travelling home on the tube this evening, I was on the look out for a dumped copy of the Evening Standard's "Homes and Property" supplement (not for me, for marypcb, who is an avid consumer of design supplements and what I call "house porn").

A chap opposite me dumped his copy, leaving it perched behind a snoozing salaryman. So, as I left the tube at Earl's Court, behind the gentleman in question, I picked up the copy. As I did so, he left the carriage and stepped on to the platform. As I was folding the paper up to put into my bag, he turned and asked for it...

Should I have given it to him?


I handed it over. And then found another copy on the Wimbledon train I caught a few minutes later.

However there's a big part of me that's still thinking "No - you deliberately left that behind. If you really wanted it, you'd have picked it up when the salaryman sat down and put it on the window ledge, instead of leaving it there for the entire journey from Picadilly to Earl's Court...

Comments

[muninnhuginn]

Assuming that when you wrote "given it to him" you meant the newspaper, then rolled up and smartly applied to the top of his head, maybe. (These days they don't sport bowlers that need removing first, do they?)

"Let 'im 'ave it," as Bentley allegedly said to Craig!

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

Or perhaps he just thought you were being nice and bringing it to him?

[tanais.livejournal.com]

Yes because karma points can be earned from such a scenario ...

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

However there's a big part of me that's still thinking "No - you deliberately left that behind. If you really wanted it, you'd have picked it up when the salaryman sat down and put it on the window ledge, instead of leaving it there for the entire journey from Picadilly to Earl's Court...

Pah - you're just feeling guilty and are trying to come up with reasons to try and stop yourself feeling guilty - as if you feeling guilty is somehow his fault.

Probably. ;)

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

Of course you were right to give it to him, but there's nothing wrong with giving it to him while saying "Oh, I thought you'd discarded it; I was just doing my bit for Underground litter control." Be as sarcastic as you like.

[quercus.livejournal.com]

Yes, of course you should have done. Smile too.

The fact that's he's a petty ass doesn't mean you have to follow.